Overview

• A group of 59 white South African Afrikaners arrived in the U.S. on May 12 under expedited refugee admissions, citing alleged racial persecution and violence in South Africa.
• The Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Afghans on the same day, claiming that conditions in Taliban-led Afghanistan no longer meet statutory requirements.
• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and human rights organizations have rejected the 'genocide' claims cited by the U.S., stating that crime statistics show no racial targeting of white farmers.
• The Episcopal Church announced it would terminate its refugee resettlement partnership with the U.S. government, citing its commitment to racial justice and opposition to preferential treatment for Afrikaners.
• Critics, including bipartisan voices, have condemned the policy as racially discriminatory, contrasting it with the administration's broader restrictions on refugees from non-white majority countries.